Sofya Gulyak piano recital

Join us for an evening of piano artistry with Sofya Gulyak 🎹, presented by Gradus ad Parnassum Music Academy. Experience masterful interpretations that bring classical works to life.

Program:

BACH-BUSONI Chaconne in D minor

FRANCKv Prelude, Fugue, and Variation, Op. 18

BACH-BUSONI Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland (Savior of the Nations, Come), Chorale Prelude BWV 659

BACH-BUSONI Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565

CHOPIN Prelude in C-Sharp minor, Op. 45

CHOPIN Rondo à la Mazur, Op. 5

CHOPIN-LISZT Meine Freuden (My Joys)

CHOPIN-LISZT Madchens Wunsch (The Maiden’s Wish)

LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (with cadenza by Sofya Gulyak)

In September 2009 Sofya Gulyak was awarded the 1st prize and the Princess Mary Gold Medal at the Sixteenth Leeds International Piano Competition – the first woman in the history of the competition to achieve this distinction. Since then she has appeared all over the world to great acclaim. Her recital programs are frequently reviewed in superlatives, and her concerto appearances with major orchestras are noted in glowing terms by the world’s music press. Sofya has been praised for her "tremendous precision and coloration...exquisite soft playing ...with delicacy" and described as a “Rach star"(Washington Post). 

     Sofya Gulyak’s resume includes prizes from many prestigious piano competitions: she is a 1st prize winner of William Kapell International Piano Competition in the USA, Maj Lind Helsinki International Piano Competition, Tivoli Piano Competition in Copenhagen, Isang Yun International Piano Competition in South Korea, San Marino Piano Competition, winner of Busoni Competition in Italy and prize winner of Marguerite Long Piano Competition in Paris. Recitals and concert appearances have been numerous, with Sofya Gulyak having performed all over the globe in such venues as La Scala Theatre and Sala Verdi in Milan, Herculessaal in Munich, Salle Cortot, Salle Gaveau and Salle Pleyel in Paris, Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Kennedy Center in Washington, Salle Bourgie in Montreal, Palais de la Musique in Strasbourg, Hong Kong City Hall, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Tokyo Opera City Hall, Osaka Symphony Hall, Musashino Cultural Centre in Tokyo, National Hungarian Opera in Budapest, National Forum of Music in Wroclaw, Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Teatro Municipal and Cidade des Artes in Rio de Janeiro, Auditorium Manzoni in Bologna, Salle Molière in Lyon, Cankarjev Dom in Ljubljana, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, King Theatre in Rabat, Kursaal in Bern, Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen etc..

Sofya Gulyak appeared as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony, Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic, Rio de Janeiro Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Orchestra of Opera North, Orchestra dell’ Arena di Verona, Orchestra Filarmonica di Bologna, Budapest Philharmonic, Enescu Philharmonic, Stavanger Symphony, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Slovak Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Copenhagen Symphony, Ulster Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Shanghai Philharmonic, NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Oulu Philharmonic, Leipzig Philharmonic, Pensacola Symphony, Tatarstan Symphony, Philippines Philharmonic, Morocco Philharmonic and others. She collaborated with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sakari Oramo, Mark Elder, David Hill, Donald Runnicle, Vasily Petrenko, Carlo Rizzi, Alexander Lazarev, Alan Buribayev, Eiving Gullberg Jensen, Karl-Heinz Steffens, Theodor Guschlbauer, Giancarlo Guerrero, Rory McDonald, Danail Rachev, Fabio Mastrangelo, Michele Mariotti, Marat Bisengaliev, Fuat Mansurov, Alexander Sladkovsky, Daria Stasevska, Eiji Oue, Mario Kosik, Jesus Medina, Christian Zimmermann, Peter Rubardt and others.

 The festivals in which Sofya Gulyak participated include Klavier Ruhr Festival, Chopin Festival in Duszniki-Zdroj, Festival de Sceaux, International Keyboard Festival in New York, International Strasbourg Festival, Busoni Festival, Harrogate Festival, “Joy of Music festival” in Hong Kong, Kraków Piano Festival, New Zealand Piano Festival, Ravello Festival, Festival Chopin in Paris, Shanghai International Piano Festival and many others.

Sofya Gulyak recorded for Champs Hill Records and Piano Classics labels. Her recordings received  5 stars review in Diapason magazine (“What a pleasure to hear the piano blossoming and projecting in the most vivid of ways when played by Sofya Gulyak. The singing sound alongside dazzling and powerful execution distinguishes an outstanding natural pianist”), glowing reviews from “Gramophone” (“This is a stunning debut album…”) and “Guardian” magazines (“Sofya Gulyak is a fearless pianist, never afraid to scale the most technically demanding heights of the repertoire and equally proud to wear her heart on her sleeve”), American Record Guide (“The Handel Variations is among the top contenders on record. She keeps you on the edge of your seat, as the music presses ever forward. Sometimes I was reminded of the young Argerich”) , “Fanfare” magazine (“Her musicality is beautifully attuned to the spirit of Brahms…I must praise Kazan-born Russian pianist Sofya Gulyak, whose impressive reading places a stronger emphasis than Perahia’s on the continuity of the variations…She’s a natural Brahmsian whatever his moods.”) …  CD with the Chaconnes for piano was released on Champs Hill records (“…A fascinating collection, superbly realised and beautifully recorded…"-Artdesk; “Gulyak is a musician of exceptional depth and profundity, and a pianist with seemingly unlimited technical resources… I can’t wait to hear more of her…Of particular note are her beautiful versions of the Nielsen, the Casella, a ferocious Busoni Toccata, and a sparkling account of the Handel Chaconne."-Fanfare Magazine)

In 2025-26 Sofya makes her debut with Indianapolis Symphony, California Symphony and Alexandria Symphony orchestras, Xiamen Philharmonic in China, Oviedo Symphony in Spain and London Sinfonia in the UK. She also returns for solo recitals at Salle Bourgie in Montreal for “Grand Interpreters” series and Vancouver Chopin Society in Canada, Liszt Festival in Austria(with live broadcast on ORF radio in Vienna), and gives recitals in China, United Kingdom, Germany, United States, Canada, Italy etc..

As chamber musician Sofya Gulyak collaborated with Wihan, Chilingirian, Arianna quartets, Quartetto di Venezia, soloists of English Chamber orchestra, violinists Olivier Charlie and Marianne Piketty, viola player Tatjana Masurenko, baritone Loa Falkman, cellists Quirine Viersen and Yuki Ito (with whom she recorded a CD of Rachmaninoff’s music for Champs Hill Records).

Sofya Gulyak is a native of Kazan (Russia) where she studied in a Special Music College under Nailya Khakimova, and then in Kazan State Conservatoire under Professor Elfiya Burnasheva. After that she continued her studies at the Piano Academy "Incontri col Maestro" (Imola, Italy) with Boris Petrushansky and at the Royal College of Music in London with Vanessa Latarche. Sofya Gulyak attended as a jury member of the international piano competitions in Italy, Serbia, France, Germany, Russia, Greece, United States, China, South Korea, Singapore etc. and was invited to teach master classes in China, Italy, Austria, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Hong Kong, Mexico, USA, Canada, Germany.

Over decade she has been a professor of piano at the Royal College of Music in London. Since 2023 she is a professor of piano at Jacobs school of Music at Indiana University. 

Her playing has been broadcast on radio and TV in Russia, Poland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, United States, Finland, Denmark, Serbia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom (BBC3 and BBC4) and other countries.